Spike Lee Says A$AP Rocky Goes ‘Toe-To-Toe' With Denzel Washington In New Film
A$AP Rocky stars as an aspiring rapper in the neo-noir film Highest 2 Lowest, directed by Spike Lee.
A$AP Rocky, born Rakim Athelaston Mayers, is returning to the big screens with the neo-noir thriller, Highest 2 Lowest. And the film's director Spike Lee is all praises for the 36-year-old rapper's impressive acting skills. During his appearance on the July 31 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the 68-year-old filmmaker shared that Rocky goes 'toe-to-toe" with Denzel Washington in the upcoming film.
The legendary Hollywood actor is best known for his roles in films like Cry Freedom, Malcolm X, Man on Fire, Deja Vu, American Gangster, Unstoppable and Gladiator II. 'Don't sleep on A$AP," Lee said during the conversation, highlighting how the rapper held his own while starring in the film when others feel pressured while working with someone as great as Washington.
'I've done five films with Denzel, and a lot of times when he's in a scene with somebody, they just get overwhelmed. He's one of the greatest living actors today, but A$AP wasn't having that," he said, adding, 'Toe-to-toe, I mean, they were going at it."
Spike Lee Reveals Why He Chose A$AP Rocky To Play Denzel Washington's Son
In the same conversation, the director of Highest 2 Lowest also discussed how he always thought that A$AP could play the role of the son of the 70-year-old actor. The Oscar-winning director explained, 'What's interesting is, even before I got involved with this film, I always thought that A$AP looked like he could be Denzel's son. There's a big resemblance. So when you see it on the screen, it adds an element of father and son."
Highest 2 Lowest: Cast And Plot
The neo-noir crime thriller is an English reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 Japanese film High and Low. The latter, in turn, is loosely based on the 1959 novel by Ed McBain, titled King's Ransom. Set in New York City, the film follows the life of an aspiring rapper, Yung Felony, played by A$AP Rocky, who is the son of Denzel Washington's character, David King. He runs a successful record label, called the Stackin Hits, and is the heir of the legendary record producer and composer Quincy Jones.
Besides the two leads, the film features Ice Spice in her debut role, Jeffrey Wright, Michael Potts, Dean Winters, Jensen McRae and John Douglas Thompson, among others.
Highest 2 Lowest is all set to be released theatrically on August 22, and after a limited run on the big screens, the neo-noir thriller will be available for streaming on Apple TV+ from September 5 onwards.
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August 02, 2025, 16:15 IST
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